


Ink and Neon

by Seokhani



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Drunken Shenanigans, M/M, Partying, Smoking, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 19:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19324876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seokhani/pseuds/Seokhani
Summary: “Okay okay, how about we just get a little drunk tonight, instead of Jeonghan-throwing-up-on-our-Christmas-tree drunk?”Hansol examines his feelings for a certain boy, his impending graduation, and the twelve other guys who made college a time he will never forget.





	Ink and Neon

**Author's Note:**

> This is based loosely on Bastille's new album Doom Days.

Hansol stumbled out of the lecture hall, stretching his aching legs. He’d just finished a two-hour exam, his last final of the spring semester. He straightened up, sucking in a deep breath of the cool evening air. It was only around 8 o’clock on a Friday night, and that left him plenty of time to find something fun to do. Several of his friends had already gone home for the summer, but he knew at least a few who lived off-campus and were sticking around. 

He started walking across the courtyard, the last light of the day fading off the buildings surrounding the quad. The path stretching before him was mostly empty and the campus was quiet, which was a rarity. He approached the music buildings, seeing a few lights on in the windows. The atrium of the concert hall was off to his right, and it looked abandoned. On his left stood the lecture hall, a modest building that wasn’t as flashy as the one where they held the performances. The lights in the basement lounge were on, and he could bet someone was down there. He pushed open the doors to the lecture hall and hustled his way down the stairs, running a hand through his hair as he went. 

The music lounge was the usual gathering spot for Hansol and his friends, as well as the rest of the music department. It was usually full of loud students tugging around instruments, huddling together desperately trying to finish homework before class. Tonight, though, it was quiet. For a moment, Hansol thought it was empty, but then he spotted Wonwoo, his roommate since freshman year, on the corner couch. He was staring intently at his laptop. Hansol made his way over to the chair beside him, setting his bag on the floor before sitting down. 

“Hey Wonu. Are you done with finals too?” 

Wonwoo looked up, giving Hansol a small smile. “Almost, I’m about to submit my last paper.”

Hansol leaned over, squinting at the densely-packed words filling the screen. “That looks like a beast, man.” 

Wonwoo nodded, reaching under his round glasses to rub at his eyes. “Yeah, it took me all fucking day. Historical American Literature is no joke.” 

“That sounds like the absolute worst class I can possibly imagine.” 

Wonwoo cocked an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just have a final in programming?”

Hansol hung his head. “Principles of Organizational Programming Languages. It was literal hell.”

Wonwoo chuckled. “Now, _that_ sounds like the worst class I can imagine.”

“Yeah, I had to learn a bunch of obscure garbage I’ll never need to use.” He picked up his bag, pulling out his phone. “But at least it’s over! Hurry up and submit yours, I wanna do something tonight.” 

Wonwoo groaned. “You mean we can’t just sleep? I want to sleep.” 

“We can sleep when we’re dead, Wonu.” He typed out a message to Minghao, asking his whereabouts. “We could have people come over to the apartment, if you want.”

Wonwoo sat up, closing his laptop after sending off his paper. “Nah, if we’re gonna get drunk, let’s do it elsewhere. I don’t need anyone throwing up in my closet tonight.” 

Hansol laughed, remembering their last party. They’d woken up to find Seokmin in his underwear under the dining room table, and Jihoon hanging upside down off the couch. “Did you ever figure out who threw up in your closet?” 

Wonwoo smirked, “Come on dude, which one of us has a tendency of vomiting in obscure places?”

He opened his mouth to answer, just as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs toward them. Hansol caught sight of a mop of silver hair and a black denim jacket as the footsteps came around the corner. He pointed at the newcomer. “Speak of the devil.” 

Jeonghan grinned, shrugging off his bookbag and moving to sit on the couch with Wonwoo. “What about me?”

Wonwoo pushed his glasses up, fixing Jeonghan with a look. “We’re talking about you puking in my closet last weekend.”

Jeonghan leaned forward and rubbed his temples, as if reliving the hangover. “Hey in my defense, I aimed for your ugliest shoes.” 

“You hit like three pairs though.”

“Well, you have a lot of ugly shoes.”

Hansol interjected. “Okay okay, how about we just get a little drunk tonight, instead of Jeonghan-throwing-up-on-our-Christmas-tree drunk?”

Jeonghan scoffed. “Dude, it was February, why would you still have your Christmas tree laying out on your balcony?” 

All three of them laughed. They had a bunch of good memories with each other, despite all the vomit. Hansol himself had his fair share of unfortunate incidents involving alcohol, so he really couldn’t judge. He and Chan had recently turned 21, being the babies of their group, so now they could all go out and drink in bars like adults instead of huddled around a shitty coffee table in their friend’s apartment. “Okay so tonight, maybe we just go out and do stuff like normal people.” 

Wonwoo moved to slide his laptop into his bag. “Cheol just got his car back. Maybe he can take us downtown.” Seungcheol was somehow lucky enough to have a newer Camaro, and he was stupid enough to drive them all around in it. They’d managed to cram eight people in it once, with people riding on laps and someone laying across the floor, but it was ridiculously unsafe and uncomfortable. 

Jeonghan nodded, rummaging through his bag for his phone. “Who all’s coming?”

Hansol checked his phone, seeing a reply from Minghao. He was on his way to the lounge himself. “Minghao’s probably down. Us three, and Cheol. Anyone else?” 

Jeonghan scrolled through his phone, tapping on a message. “I’ll invite Jihoon, he’ll probably bring Soonyoung.” 

Wonwoo pulled out his phone too, “Chan said he was free tonight, I’ll send him a text.” 

Jeonghan laughed, “Maybe Chan can drive his car too, so he doesn’t have to lay down in the floorboard of Cheol’s car again.” Again, eight people, do not try this at home. 

Minghao shuffled in, grinning from beneath his jet-black hair. “We gettin’ weird tonight, boys?” He sprawled out next to Jeonghan, tossing an arm around his shoulders. He tossed a wink at Hansol, who glared in response. Ever since he’d told that mullet-headed demon about his crush on Jeonghan, he’d been doing his best to tease Hansol at every turn. 

Wonwoo smiled, standing up and stretching his long arms toward the ceiling. “Cheol said he’s in, we can meet up at his house.” The other boys stood, following Wonwoo out of the music building. Hansol can’t pinpoint exactly why they all chose to hang out there all the time when only Chan and Jeonghan were music majors. Those two had convinced their friends to join the local music fraternity, Chi Mu, and that’s how Hansol had met most of his college friends. He was grateful for the brotherhood and the acceptance he felt as a member, and he was also grateful for the steady flow of alcohol and parties he was tapped into. None of them were quite alcoholics (yet) but they all enjoyed hanging out on a Friday night, kicking back after a long week. Cheol was the president, and he lived in a house with a couple other brothers, just across the street from campus.

They walked past the student center, shuffling down the grassy hill to the parking lot. Cheol’s house sat just on the other side of the road, a small brick ranch-style house with flattened Budweiser boxes in a couple of the bedroom windows. As they walked, Jeonghan looped his arm through Hansol’s. He grinned up at him, his gray hair flopping down into his eyes. 

“I haven’t seen much of you lately.” 

Hansol ducked his head, blushing. “Yeah, this semester was kinda rough. Last weekend was pretty much the last time I did anything social.” 

Jeonghan nodded, “Yeah, this year was pretty stressful for me too. It’s hard to believe I only have one semester left.” Jeonghan would be graduating in December, right after finishing his student teaching assignment. It was something every Music Education major had to do in their final semester, and Hansol knew he was dreading it. He couldn’t exactly picture Jeonghan teaching a bunch of seven-year-olds to play the triangle. Hansol himself would be graduating in the spring. He didn’t really want to think about the fact that, in the next six months, their little group would begin to dissolve. They’d all promised to keep in touch regularly, but he knew that real life would get in the way. 

He’d miss them all, he really would, but he’d miss Jeonghan the most. 

They stepped up on the porch of the frat house, and Wonwoo swung the door open. “Cheollie, we’re here.” 

Jeonghan walked across to the far wall, collapsing on the couch there, dropping his head into Chan’s lap. Chan ignored him, continuing to play a video game on the TV. Hansol fell into a mostly-flattened La-Z-Boy recliner, the footstool popping up without him even pulling the lever. Minghao made his way to the kitchen, pulling a full handle of clear rum from his bag and setting it on the table. Where the fuck did he get that? Hansol watched as Wonwoo disappeared down the hall, searching for Seungcheol. Those two had only begun dating recently, but that was after years of them being attached at the hip. It wasn’t really like that much had changed.

Minghao came back in, handing a cup to Hansol. He guessed by light blue color that it was Minghao’s specialty, a concoction he liked to call “Caribbean Gatorade.” Which was, yeah, just rum and gatorade. What? They were broke-ass college students. Minghao shuffled back, handing cups to both Jeonghan and Chan. Jeonghan sat up, sucking down nearly the whole thing in one go. Hansol shook his head, sipping on his. 

Minghao returned with his own cup, wedging himself between Hansol and the greasy arm of the recliner. The chair was more than big enough for the both of them, but Hansol groaned at the intrusion anyway. 

Chan put down his controller, reaching for the cup Minghao had left him on the coffee table. “Thank you, hyung!” he chimed, taking a sip.

Minghao waved toward him, turning to Hansol. “See? What a polite boy. You two could learn some fucking manners.” 

Jeonghan stood, wobbling a bit before tossing himself on the chair on top of them both. “How’s this for manners, Billy Ray?” 

Minghao screeched, setting his drink down on the side table so he could repeatedly punch Jeonghan in the kidney. 

Hansol laughed, protecting his own drink from Jeonghan’s flailing elbows. He heard some keys jingle as Seungcheol joined them in the living room. “Hey, no fighting on my chair, that thing’s a delicate work of art.”

Chan turned to him, “But hyung I’m pretty sure I saw a cloud of dust come out of it when Hansol sat down!”

Seungcheol grimaced, running a hand through his hair. “Are we doing this or what?” The boys hopped up, ready to go. Hansol sucked down the rest of his drink, setting the cup down and already feeling a little warm, which was concerning. How much did Minghao put in there?

Wonwoo piped up behind him. “Do I have to drive again? This is bullshit, I want to drink too.” 

Seungcheol shook his head. “Soonyoung agreed to drive back, he said he’s never touching alcohol again for the rest of his life.” 

The boys nodded solemnly, knowing that statement was 1) a product of last weekend’s festivities and 2) completely false. 

“F,” Jeonghan murmured, hanging his head. Minghao clapped him on the shoulder, looking down at their feet. 

Chan groaned, pushing his way to the door. “He’s not dead, you assholes, he’s just our DD.” 

The boys followed him outside, where Jihoon and Soonyoung were already waiting. Mingyu and Seokmin were walking over from the student center, both of them smiling widely and chattering to each other. 

Hansol surveyed the group. “Well we’re definitely not all fitting in Cheol’s car.” 

Chan twirled his keys. “I’ll drive some people out and Soonyoung can make two trips back.” Everyone nodded. For being the baby, Chan was always the voice of reason. He talked them out of doing a lot of stupid shit. To be fair, he talked them _into_ doing a fair amount of stupid shit too. 

They all piled in. Chan drove a Geo Metro, so it barely fit four people. Mingyu folded himself in half to slide into the back seat, his knees up in front of his face. Minghao crammed himself in beside him, with Chan and Seokmin taking the front seats. 

Cheol’s car was a bit rowdier, trying to shove six grown men in a fucking Camaro. It didn’t help that Seungcheol was fanatical about his car, demanding they take their keys out of their pockets before sitting on the leather seats and threatening to strap someone to the roof if they so much as dry-heaved. Cheol and Wonwoo took the front seats, leaving Hansol, Jeonghan, Jihoon, and Soonyoung to stuff themselves into the back. Jihoon shot daggers at Soonyoung when he tried to sit on his lap, so he wedged down in the middle seat. Hansol sat beside him, leaving Jeonghan to lap surf. Hansol patted his legs, and Jeonghan perched himself on his thighs. He pulled the seatbelt out as far as it would go, barely managing to belt it around both of them. Again, don’t do this shit at home.

Cheol turned the key and the car roared to life. Everyone jolted when Chan turned his car on, which backfired like a shotgun. They pulled out onto the road, destination still relatively unknown. They wound up downtown, not far from the frat house. There were plenty of bars and restaurants downtown, and despite it being finals weekend, there were lots of people milling around. The students were out celebrating being done with finals, and the townies were out celebrating the students going home for the summer. Cheol parked in a public lot, Chan’s car puttering up beside his. 

Jeonghan shifted on Hansol’s lap, turning to look at him. “Don’t let me get into anything too stupid tonight.” He smirked, knowing full well that if they did anything stupid, they’d do it together. Hansol grinned back, squeezing Jeonghan’s thigh. 

Wonwoo stepped out, pulling the seat forward so Jihoon and Soonyoung could crawl out. Seungcheol did the same on his side, leaning in to look at the two in the back. “Can you guys stop making eyes at each other and get out of my backseat?” 

 

They wound up at the bar that they’d never admit was their favorite. It was called Willey’s, and it sat up on the second floor of a decrepit old building. It had a small dance floor, a shit load of neon signs, and (best of all) three dollar tequila shots. They all sat around a pool table in the back room, which was hazy with smoke and dim lighting. A couple of them sat in the windowsill, with the others standing around or sitting on barstools. 

Just like they’d never admit how much they’d love this bar, Hansol would never admit how much he was going to miss this. In the few months he’d been 21, this had become their regular haunt. They’d usually filter in one-by-one, joining the others in this back room. Wonwoo would sneak behind the bar and buy a pack of cigarettes from the bartender, passing them around once he got back to the pool room. None of the boys smoked, except when they were drunk, or stressed out, or after finals. Hansol had invested in a vape, hoping to not give himself lung cancer, even though it’s probably going to do the same thing. 

He leaned back in his seat on the windowsill, feeling the cool glass through the fabric of his shirt. It had started to get hot in here, all of them dancing around and passing around pool cues. Currently Mingyu and Minghao were up against one another, Mingyu draped over his pool stick, about to make a shot. Minghao was standing behind him, aiming a creative string of profanity at Mingyu’s back. 

Hansol looked up, in time to see Jeonghan wandering over to him. His face was lit red by the neon sign on the wall, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips. He smirked and motioned to the space beside him, and Hansol nodded. Jeonghan sat down, leaning over so their shoulders touched. Hansol reached up and plucked the cigarette from him, taking one drag for himself before crushing it out in the ashtray on the table beside him. He handed Jeonghan his vape, smirking. “Less likely to kill you.” 

Jeonghan took it, sucking in a long drag and releasing it through his nose before speaking. “Yeah, just more likely to explode and blow my face off.”

Hansol laughed. “You look like a dragon when you do that.” Jeonghan grinned at him through the smoke, and maybe it was the neon light or maybe it was the two drinks he’d already had, but the butterflies in Hansol’s stomach were undeniable. Jeonghan turned back to watch the game of pool, sipping on his own drink and tapping his leg along to the music. After a moment he leaned back, settling his head on Hansol’s shoulder. 

Mingyu beat Minghao, the group going into uproar when he finally sunk the 8 ball. Minghao begrudgingly handed off his cue to Seungcheol, who was already wobbling with a drunk grin on his face. Wonwoo smirked from his seat against the wall. Hansol smiled, turning to Jeonghan. “Hey, wanna go do a shot?” 

“Don’t gotta ask me twice,” he said, rising up. The made their way through the crowded front room, working a path to the bar. Jeonghan reached back, grabbing his hand to tug him forward. They found a space at the bar and Jeonghan worked his way in, pulling Hansol up against his back. He ordered two tequila shots, adding them to his tab. Hansol leaned forward to rest his hands on the bar, one on either side of Jeonghan. The loud bass from the music thrummed around them, almost drowned out by the chatter of the other patrons. Hansol had learned, somewhere along the way, to thoroughly love this chaos. Maybe that’s why he liked Jeonghan so much; that boy was chaos personified. 

“Thank you,” he murmured into his ear. Jeonghan nodded, leaning back into him a little. 

“We’ve got to enjoy the time we have left.” He smirked, looking over his shoulder to catch Hansol’s eyes. He turned around, handing him a chilled shot glass full of a liquid that was somehow both clear and also brown, in the way that only bottom-shelf tequila could be. They clinked their glasses, tapping them down on the bar counter before turning them bottoms-up. They both winced at the awful taste, setting the glasses back down on the bartop. “Speaking of which,” Jeonghan choked out, eyes watering, “I have a proposition for you.”

Hansol leaned back to appraise him, curious. “What’s that?”

Jeonghan smiled, a genuine wide grin. “We should get tattoos tonight.” 

Hansol laughed, leaning into him. “Yeah, we’re pretty much wasted, that’s a great idea.” 

“Joshua is doing that tattoo apprenticeship. He said he’d give me one if I came down tonight.” 

Hansol nodded, tugging him back toward the pool room. “Why the hell not.” Joshua was actually pretty good; they’d seen some of the work he’d been doing, and Hansol was really impressed. They stumbled back to their friends, Jeonghan peeling off to go annoy Chan. Somehow, Cheol had already beaten Mingyu, and was now playing against Jihoon. Jihoon’s top shirt button was undone and his hair was a little fucked up, and Hansol giggled. He didn’t get drunk often, but when he did, it was crazy town. 

“Hey guys,” Jeonghan staggered to the middle of the room. “Who wants to go see Joshua with us?” Everyone cheered, raising a glass for their poor brother who was stuck at work. 

Jihoon slurred, “Yeah bro, but only after I kick Cheol’s ass at pool.” 

Cheol hooked a finger in Jihoon’s general direction. “I’d like to see you try.” They had both scratched on the cue ball for five turns in a row, so it looked like this game might take a while. Hansol sat back down in his window seat, watching his friends dance and sing and drink. He smiled again, thinking about how much he loved them all, and this place. It would be hard to leave. 

A song came on the speakers, one of his new favorites. 

_When I watch the world burn, all I think about is you._

He nodded his head along with the beat, feeling it flow through him. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of the sound rattling beneath his feet, the cold drink in his hand, the smell of vape smoke and alcohol all around him. He opened his eyes to see Jeonghan standing before him bathed in the red neon, his head tilted, a smile on his lips. 

_Last couple years have been a mad trip, how’d you look so perfect?_

The group cheered again as Jihoon finally beat Seungcheol, who withered to the ground dramatically. Wonwoo picked him back up, trying to hide his smile. They all stood, gathering up their belongings, making their way to the bar to close their tabs. 

_So many questionable choices, we love the sound that our voice makes._

Hansol sucked down the rest of his drink, feeling wholly drunk now. Jeonghan held out a hand to help him up, and he took it. They walked over and stood with the others, who were giggling and teasing Seungcheol. Soonyoung had an arm wrapped around Jihoon’s waist, holding him mostly upright as he laughed. Hansol felt bold, probably from consuming shots and a total of three double rum and cokes. He slipped his arm around Jeonghan’s waist, sliding his hand into his back pocket. Jeonghan giggled, leaning into his side. 

_We’ll be the proud remainders, here till the morning breaks us._

They waddled forward, paying their tabs and leaving a nice tip for the bartender. They waved goodbye and the group started to filter down the stairs. They were steep and very narrow, so they had to stumble down one at a time. Hansol went down first to make sure Jeonghan wouldn’t fall. A spark shot through him when he felt Jeonghan’s hands on his shoulders, sliding up occasionally to his neck. He couldn’t hide his grin. 

_So I put my phone down, fall into the night with you._

They stepped out onto the sidewalk, sucking in breaths of fresh air. Hansol ran a hand through his hair as they set off further down the street, where the tattoo parlor was located. Jihoon was wobbling so Soonyoung hiked him up on his back for an impromptu piggyback ride. Jeonghan tottered along in front of them, doing his best to walk in a straight line. Seungcheol swung around a streetlamp, before Wonwoo plucked him off. 

Soon enough they were pushing through the glass door of the shop, which was also lit by colorful neon lights. Joshua waved at them as they entered, filing into the small waiting area. “Hey guys!” 

Soonyoung deposited Jihoon unceremoniously on one of the couches, smiling and waving back at Joshua. “Hey Joshua. I’m the sober one, so I won’t let them do anything too stupid.” Joshua raised his eyebrows. 

“Alright, I’m ready to get out of here, so who wants what?”

Jihoon stood up (somehow) and wandered up to the counter. “I want a bunch of music notes, on my face.” He pointed to his forehead. Soonyoung grabbed him by the shoulders, guiding him back to the couch.

“That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.”

Joshua shook his head, looking over at Jeonghan. “You said you wanted something, right?” 

Jeonghan nodded. “Yeah, and I’ll pay for Hansol to get one too.” 

Joshua looked over his shoulder at his mentor, who was asleep in the back with a magazine on his face. He sighed. “I’m not supposed to tattoo drunk clients, so can you assholes keep it down? Come on back.” 

 

It was all a blur to Hansol, but eventually they ended up in the back with Jeonghan lying on the chair, Hansol holding his hand. He wanted a small black heart on the front side of his hip, for whatever reason. He tugged his jeans down a little, folding them over to stay in place. Hansol tried to ignore the twitch he felt in his pants as he watched this. Josh tucked a paper towel in his jeans to keep the ink off his clothes and started wiping his skin down. “If you regret this, don’t complain to me.”

Jeonghan scoffed. “This is not my first rodeo, my dude.” Jeonghan already had several tattoos, mostly on his legs. With career dreams of being a teacher, he was pretty limited in terms of tattoo placement. He squeezed Hansol’s hand. It would be Hansol’s first tattoo, and he’d decided to get it on the palm of his hand, just below his thumb. He was aiming for a career as a software developer, so no one cared where he got tattoos. 

Joshua placed the stencil. “That look okay?” 

Jeonghan turned to Hansol. “I can’t fuckin’ see it, will you make sure it looks right?” Hansol stood, looking down at the tiny blue heart the size of a dime that was now on Jeonghan’s skin. It seemed perfectly placed, a couple inches inward from his left hipbone but not too close to his groin to be lewd. He tried not to stare too long at the smooth skin, one of the few parts of Jeonghan he’d never seen. He nodded.

“It looks good.” 

He sat back down, taking his hand again. The buzzing of the tattoo gun seemed deafening, even compared to the loud music that they were subjected to in the bar. Joshua flexed his hands a little, tucked into thick black gloves. “Alright, here goes.” 

Jeonghan sucked in a sharp breath and gripped Hansol’s hand hard as the needle made contact, and Hansol was suddenly afraid of his turn. It was over pretty quickly though, only a few strokes necessary to ink something so small. Joshua wiped it carefully, applying some balm. 

“Alright, next!” 

Jeonghan swiveled off the chair to stand and Joshua moved to prop the back up so Hansol could sit. Jeonghan examined his new ink in the mirror, smiling. “It looks great Joshua, thank you.” 

Joshua smiled brightly. “Well it’s pretty simple, it’s nothing.” Hansol could tell he felt proud, despite his words. 

He placed his right hand face-up and Joshua began to wipe it down, after changing out his equipment for fresh needles and gloves. “You ready for this?”

Hansol tried to give him a convincing smile, but he knew it was fooling no one. Jeonghan came up to his side, taking his other hand. “It’ll be fine, it’ll be over quick.” Hansol’s eyes flicked down to the new ink, finding that he really, really liked the way it looked against Jeonghan’s pale skin.

Joshua placed the stencil, the same design he’d used for Jeonghan. It was cold and Hansol had to concentrate very hard on holding still and not shaking. The buzzing of the gun felt like it was going to tear him straight in half, and he hadn’t even touched him with it yet. “Okay, hang on.” 

Hansol squeezed Jeonghan’s hand, waiting for the first touch. He grit his teeth when the needles made contact, trying not to make any embarrassing noises. Man, this fucking hurt. He squeezed his eyes closed hard, holding onto Jeonghan for dear life. It was over in just a few minutes, but it felt like forever. Joshua pulled back. “All finished!”

He let go of Jeonghan’s hand, which looked only slightly broken. Hansol raised his hand to look at it. It was beautiful, a nice rich black with crisp edges. “Wow, Joshua this is great.” He looked at him with a smile. “Thank you.” 

Joshua grinned again. “I really love doing this, so I’m glad you guys trusted me.” 

 

They made their way back to the lobby and arranged themselves on the torn leather couch that sat in front of the shop windows. Hansol pulled out his phone to check the time. It was just past 1AM, and the street outside was quiet except for the occasional drunk trotting from bar to bar. He tucked his phone back in his pocket, just as he felt Jeonghan slip an arm through his. He leaned heavily on Hansol’s shoulder, sighing deeply. He’d be asleep in two minutes, Hansol knew. Jeonghan had a habit of falling asleep anywhere, anytime.

Hansol leaned his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes. His thoughts travelled to last weekend, another time when they sat in silence much like the present. 

_Hansol had found Jeonghan on the floor of Wonwoo’s room, apparently too late to stop him from vomiting in the closet. He ran a hand through his hair and closed the door, hoping it would take Wonu a while to notice. He yanked a giggling Jeonghan to his feet and shuffled him to the bathroom, where he forced him to gargle mouthwash._

_They soon found themselves on the balcony, Jeonghan pulling a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket. He handed one to Hansol before lighting one for himself, Hansol flicking on his own lighter and gripping the cigarette between his lips as he lit it. The stale, oppressive taste flooded his mouth and he grimaced, but the flood of nicotine felt unfortunately nice._

_Jeonghan sat down in the crummy lawn chair that sat beside his own. He leaned back, fixing his eyes on Hansol. “Man, Wonwoo’s gonna be pissed.”_

_Hansol laughed, leaning over to nudge his shoulder. “Why were you in there anyway?”_

_Jeonghan shook his head. “Chan wanted to talk to me about what was going on with him and Seokmin. I felt fine and then suddenly not-fine.”_

_Hansol nodded, sucking in a drag. “What’s going on with those two anyway?”_

_Jeonghan shrugged, looking down at the glowing ember of his cigarette. “The same old, he likes him and is too scared to say anything. Seokmin’s graduating soon and stuff so I guess he’s trying to figure out if he should do something about it or stay quiet.”_

_Hansol felt his head spin a little. That sounded pretty close to his present situation. “Yeah, I guess we’re all about to go our separate ways soon.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his smoke dangling from his fingers. This wasn’t something he really wanted to think about, especially not at this level of intoxication. He turned to look at Jeonghan, who was already looking at him._

_“Yeah.” He looked away from Hansol, facing forward and taking in the view from the balcony. From here they could see the campus, most of the lights off and a few streetlights dotting here and there. “It’s hard for me to think about losing you guys.” From inside the apartment, they could hear the muffled sounds of their friends laughing, some of them still taking shots, a few others playing a video game._

_Hansol nodded. “I don’t think we’re going to lose each other.” He took another drag, watching the smoke rise upward and then fade away into nothing. He felt fingertips on the inside of his forearm. He looked down to see Jeonghan thread his fingers through his own, squeezing tightly. He’d dropped his cigarette and it lay discarded at their feet, and Hansol moved on instinct to crush out the glowing light. He felt Jeonghan’s head come to rest on his shoulder._

_Jeonghan sucked in a breath, and that’s when Hansol realized he was crying. “Don’t leave me, Hansollie.”_

_Hansol shook his head, dropping his own cigarette before burying his nose in Jeonghan’s hair. “I won’t leave you.” He squeezed his hand, feeling the tears soak through his thin shirt. “I promise.”_

He felt tears prickle his eyes so he snapped them open, re-orienting himself in the present. Jeonghan snored softly against his shoulder. He looked around, noticing the others were milling about beside him. He must have fallen asleep for a moment, because the others were getting ready to leave. The other boys had wanted hearts tattoos as well, so some of the more sober ones had made their way back to Joshua’s chair. Jun had come in, fresh off a shift at the local pizza place where he was a delivery boy. They all compared their ink, Wonwoo getting a heart on his finger, Cheol getting one on his chest, Minghao deciding to put his behind his ear, and Jun opting to get one there as well. Soonyoung said he wanted his on his ass but ended up just getting it on his wrist instead, which is where Seokmin got his too. The rest were far too intoxicated, so they’d just come back tomorrow. 

Hansol shrugged and squeezed Jeonghan’s hand, waking him. They all filed out into the street, Joshua following along too. “We should go down by the river,” he suggested, tugging on his backpack. Jun was sober so he offered to drive some of them in his huge SUV, with Soonyoung piloting Seungcheol’s car. Hansol ended up in the back again, Jeonghan beside him this time. A drooling Jihoon sat on Jeonghan’s other side. Wonwoo rode shotgun, assuring Seungcheol that he wouldn’t let Soonyoung wreck his car. 

 

It was a short ride to the river. They parked in a deserted gravel lot, spilling out of the cars. The river babbled several hundred yards away, through a small swatch of trees. They shuffled past the tree line, some of them sliding down the riverbank to the shallow water, others perching on the grass on the bank. Joshua pulled out a portable speaker from his bag, plugging his phone up to play some soft music. 

Hansol looked up, noticing how bright the stars were out here. In the city, near the university, it was too bright to see them. Out here though, they dotted the sky all over. He watched as an airplane cut across the sky, a moving twinkle among the other motionless lights. Chan shuffled up to him, sitting down at his side. He dropped his head on Hansol’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss this, Hansollie.” 

Hansol nodded, laying his head on Chan’s. “I’m gonna miss it too.” Hansol dropped his eyes back to earth, looking around at his friends. Jeonghan was swaying to the music, just a few feet in front of him. Cheol and Wonwoo were on their backs, pointing up at the sky and talking softly to one another. Seokmin was already soaked with riverwater, laughing as he splashed Soonyoung. He heard the bushes rustle behind him, at the same time he noticed Jun and Minghao were missing. _Typical,_ he thought with a grin.

Behind him, Hansol heard a car door shut and swung around, his heart beating quickly. He felt relieved when he saw Seungkwan step through the trees and onto the grass, instead of a burly police officer. He waved to him. “Where you been, man?”

Seungkwan pointed to his nametag. “Work. We were super busy tonight!” He sat down beside Chan, who turned to envelop him in a hug. Hansol smiled widely as Seungkwan groaned, falling over under Chan’s weight. He turned back to look in front of him, spying Jeonghan again. 

Jeonghan tottered over, stopping just before him. “Dance with me?” He held out his hand. Hansol took it, struggling to his feet. 

The next song was something slow. Jeonghan wound his arms around Hansol’s neck and Hansol placed his hands on his waist, careful not to bump either of their fresh tattoos. They swayed together, Jeonghan leaning forward and pulling himself flush to Hansol’s chest. “Tonight has been fun,” he murmured, his breath tickling the hair on Hansol’s neck.

He nodded, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan’s back. “Yeah, it’s been great.” Hansol paused, taking a second to drink in the world around him: the stars twinkling above them, his friends scattered around, the warmth of Jeonghan pressed to his chest. He pulled back, looking into Jeonghan’s dark eyes. His hair shined silver in the moonlight, his skin ephemeral. Hansol was good and drunk but this? This was something he’d remember in the morning. Jeonghan smirked, his eyes sliding closed, a blush rising on his cheeks that was barely visible in the white light of the moon. 

“It makes me crazy when you look at me like that, Hansol,” he whispered. 

Hansol felt a tingle low in his stomach, and he knew this was the moment. Jeonghan blinked his eyes open, and Hansol raised a hand to cup his jaw. He leaned forward, pulling Jeonghan’s mouth to his own. His lips were soft and a little cold, chilled by the night air. He managed to quiet the panic in his gut as he felt Jeonghan return the kiss, smiling against his lips. Hansol nibbled his bottom lip, relishing in the way the other boy shivered. Jeonghan swiped his tongue softly across the seam of Hansol’s lips, and he opened them gladly. They stood there a while, moving their lips together slowly and tracing patterns with their fingers. 

“Get a room!” Minghao cried, stepping out of the bushes with Junhui following behind. He picked a leaf out of his hair as Hansol and Jeonghan broke apart. 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, arms still draped over Hansol’s shoulders. “You’re one to talk, Nascar. Your fly is open.” 

Minghao looked down dumbfounded for a second, before reaching to zip himself up. “Thanks, Grandpa.” 

Jeonghan smirked, his eyes mischievous. “Hey Cheollie, is your car unlocked?”

Seungcheol struggled to sit upright, swaying for a second before turning to face Jeonghan’s general location. “Yes, but I swear to god if you two get jizz on my seats I will end your miserable life.” 

Jeonghan grabbed Hansol’s hand, heading back through the trees. “Yeah, like Wonwoo hasn’t bent you in half in the backseat already.” 

Wonwoo belly laughed as Seungcheol choked a little, trying to think of a retort but failing as the two had already cut through the treeline. 

It seemed like a different world on the other side, the laughter of their friends fading into the background. They both just sort of stopped, looking at the car. Hansol squeezed his hand and Jeonghan blushed, ducking his head down. “I know Cheol said that, but it wasn’t my intention to fool around or anything.” He leaned over to bump Hansol’s shoulder. “I just want to be alone with you, I guess.” 

Hansol was unable to keep the smile off his face. “That’s fine with me.” He tugged Jeonghan’s hand, bringing him closer. “And for the record, I don’t mind if that was your intention.” He caught the sly smile that spread across Jeonghan’s face.

Before he could think twice, Hansol moved to the door of Cheol’s car and swung it open, bending to pop the seat forward. He slid into the back seat and Jeonghan followed, pulling the door shut behind him before settling himself on top of Hansol’s lap. They grinned at each other for a second, giggling as Hansol ran his hands up Jeonghan’s slim thighs. Before he knew it, Jeonghan’s lips were back on his and his hands were everywhere: tugging on the nape of Hansol’s neck, sliding down his chest, threading through his hair. He dimly realized that his hands were just sitting uselessly on Jeonghan’s hips, too hypnotized to do much else. 

Jeonghan ducked down, mouthing at Hansol’s neck. He nibbled gently, doing his best not to leave a mark. Hansol gasped, squeezing him around the waist. When he bit down on the sensitive skin of his earlobe, Hansol unconsciously rolled his hips upward. Jeonghan rolled his hips too, and Hansol felt the bulge that pressed against the front of his jeans. He slid his fingers just barely under the waistband of Jeonghan’s pants, pulling back to catch his eyes. He tilted his head. “Only if you want to,” he breathed.

Jeonghan keened, tugging his hair lightly. “I want to.” 

Hansol pressed forward, sinking his teeth into Jeonghan’s shoulder as he undid the button on his jeans. He unzipped them and tugged them down just slightly, guiding Jeonghan to kneel over him as he slid downward in the seat. Hansol yanked down his boxers, taking Jeonghan’s hard length in his hand. He scooted down a little further so he could run his tongue along the underside of his erection. Jeonghan groaned, tugging harshly on Hansol’s hair. Hansol took him fully into his mouth, rucking his shirt up and sliding his hands along Jeonghan’s smooth stomach. He’d dreamed of this for as long as he could remember, and he hoped with every fiber that he’d remember all the details of this in the morning. He flicked his eyes up, drinking in the wrecked look on the other boy’s face. 

Jeonghan slid his hand down, tracing a finger over Hansol’s cheekbone as he thrust forward, seeking the heat in his mouth. “Sollie,” he whispered, revelling in the way Hansol looked at him as he sucked harder. 

Hansol wasn’t sure if it had been a minute or an hour; it all felt like bliss to him. His jaw ached and his neck was sore but all that mattered were the moans he elicited from Jeonghan. He took him by the hips, guiding him as he thrust in and out of his mouth. He groaned around Jeonghan’s cock at the sensation of him raking his nails over his scalp. He opened his eyes, catching sight of his hand on Jeonghan’s hip. Their matching tattoos were side-by-side, and he wasn’t prepared for the hot shock of emotion that shot through him. Despite the outcome of tonight, those tattoos bound them forever. Jeonghan twisted his fingers around the strands of Hansol’s hair, following his gaze to the two black hearts. He felt it too, the permanence of their bond. It choked him up, tightening the feeling in his gut. “I’m close, Sollie.” 

Hansol groaned in response and Jeonghan thrust a couple more times before the thread inside him snapped, and he came across Hansol’s tongue. Hansol held still and swallowed it down, rubbing circles into his hips as Jeonghan cried out. Hansol steadied him, letting his cock fall from his mouth. He scooted up again, tugging up Jeonghan’s jeans as he went. Jeonghan quickly dropped himself to the floorboard, barely finding the room to arrange himself so he could undo the button on Hansol’s pants. Hansol ran a hand through the silver locks, still unprepared for the feeling of a hot mouth on his dick. Jeonghan licked from the base back to the top before sliding down and taking him fully into his mouth, his nose brushing up against the flat skin of Hansol’s abdomen. Hansol gasped and felt his legs shake, knowing very well that he wasn’t going to last long. 

He tugged harshly on Jeonghan’s hair, who in turn sent a vibrating moan down his shaft. He tried to hold out but it wasn’t much longer before he was warning Jeonghan that he was close. Jeonghan rose up one last time, flicking his eyes up to catch Hansol’s, and that was all it took. Hansol tossed his head back as he felt his release hit him, Jeonghan swallowing around him. Jeonghan pulled back as far as he could in the small space, breathing heavily. They shared a moment of eye contact before they both blushed and looked away, each reaching down to button their pants back. 

Hansol moved to lay back across the backseat, motioning Jeonghan to join him. He did, coming to lay across Hansol’s chest. He leaned in, capturing Hansol’s lips again. Hansol kissed him back, suddenly struggling with the emotional weight of it all. What does this mean? What will it spell out for them now? He was crushed by the looming possibility that the answer was _nothing_ , and he pulled back to look into Jeonghan’s eyes. Judging by the look there, Hansol surmised that he was struggling with something similar. 

“You know,” Jeonghan began, running his fingertips over Hansol’s cheekbone. “Last weekend, when I asked you not to leave me?” He locked eyes with Hansol, and he nodded for him to continue. Jeonghan took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean just for that night.” 

Hansol let out a breath, reaching up to take Jeonghan’s hand in his own. “And I promised I wouldn’t.” He broke eye contact, trying not to let it overwhelm him. “Especially now.” 

Jeonghan leaned forward, pressing a long, warm kiss to his cheek. He pulled back, his voice wavering. “I couldn’t ask you to wait for me.” A tear spilled over, dropping onto Hansol’s neck. “When I graduate and you’ve still got a semester here.” 

Hansol looked up at him. “I would, Jeonghan. I’d wait for you as long as I had to.” He felt tears prick up in his own eyes. “I’m the one who shouldn’t ask you to wait for me.” 

Jeonghan shook his head. “I have to go where a job takes me, Hansol. I can’t guarantee where I’ll end up.” 

“That doesn’t matter.” Hansol sucked in a breath, afraid this would be too much. He said it anyway. “I’d go anywhere if it meant I had you.” 

Jeonghan’s lip trembled. “But what if this ends badly for us? I can’t lose my best friend.” 

Hansol felt the gravity of it. When they left this car, one way or another, things would be different. They would either be each other’s, or they’d let this end. Their future was completely unknown either way. 

At the time, Hansol had no way of knowing what the future held for them. He didn’t know that Jeonghan would score a job in a nice city an hour away, moving into a small apartment after graduation. Hansol would follow him there six months later, picking up a remote job. He couldn’t have known that Jeonghan would get laid off after a year, and he would fall into a severe depression. Hansol would care for him every single day, trying his best to save him from the darkness. He would encourage Jeonghan to work on his art, and soon he would be good enough to land a solid graphic design job. The light would come back to his eyes, the darkness passed, but Hansol would still care for him day in and day out. Hansol certainly didn’t know that on Jeonghan’s 27th birthday, they would marry each other in front of their friends in the little barn out behind Wonwoo and Seungcheol’s house. Jihoon would be the first to volunteer to get officiated and perform the ceremony. Jeonghan would let his hair grow out by then, wearing a delicate crown made of wildflowers and holding a tiny matching bouquet, and Hansol wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears that spilled down his cheeks when he saw him. In his wildest dreams, he could never imagine that, a few years later, they would adopt a sweet baby girl from Korea, and she would become their whole world. They would stand hand-in-hand, watching her run back to them after her first day of Kindergarten, her ponytail swinging and her backpack way too big on her back. Their tattoos would be faded then, grayed out and the edges softening up, but they would always be there, a marker of the night they decided to give it a chance.

All Hansol knew at that moment, in the back of that car, was that they were two dumbass college students, about to graduate and go their separate ways, and yet he still wanted nothing more than to give this a shot. He loved Jeonghan enough to give it everything he’s got, and it would be a couple of months before he would tell him so, but it was already true. The answer was always clear.

“I want to be with you,” he whispered, a tear slipping free and running down his temple. 

Jeonghan smiled slowly, leaning down to bury his face in Hansol’s neck. “I want that too.” 

 

They straightened themselves up before stepping back through the treeline to their friends, holding hands. Cheol sat up and watched them pass through, smiling to himself. He briefly considered teasing them, but the smiles on their faces were infectious. He turned to Wonwoo. “Finally.” 

Wonwoo nodded, tilted his head to look at them too. “It’s about time.” He looked back to the stars, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. “I have a good feeling about them.” 

Seungcheol turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

Wonwoo nodded again. “They’re the only two people I know that are more in love with each other than you and me.” 

Seungcheol punched him and Wonwoo giggled. “Hey! I love you plenty, mister.” 

And he did. They all did. Thirteen people, bound together by an unbreakable friendship. Distance and time couldn’t change that, any more than it could change the ink on their skin. 

 

_Oh joy, when you call me. I was giving up, oh I was giving in!_

_How’d you always know when I’m down?_

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading friends! Some disclaimers:  
> smoking is bad don't do it  
> don't fit 8 people in a car that's meant for 4 people  
> don't drink before getting tattoos  
> don't vomit in your friend's closet (or on their hairbrush, you know who you are)
> 
> anyway I had a lot of fun writing this, I've been having a really tough time lately being far away from my friends so this was helpful to me. I hope maybe it helps some of you too. 
> 
> p.s. Doom Days is awesome give it a listen  
> p.p.s. Stream Happy Ending!


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